Why would anyone have gotten the crazy, Islamophobic idea that the Taliban might threaten Karachi officials to crack down on music on public transportation? Muhammad’s prohibition of musical instruments:
Hadith Qudsi 19:5: “The Prophet said that Allah commanded him to destroy all the musical instruments, idols, crosses and all the trappings of ignorance.” (The Hadith Qudsi, or holy Hadith, are those in which Muhammad transmits the words of Allah, although those words are not in the Qur’an.)
Muhammad also said:
(1) “Allah Mighty and Majestic sent me as a guidance and mercy to believers and commanded me to do away with musical instruments, flutes, strings, crucifixes, and the affair of the pre-Islamic period of ignorance.”
(2) “On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will pour molten lead into the ears of whoever sits listening to a songstress.”
(3) “Song makes hypocrisy grow in the heart as water does herbage.”
(4) “This community will experience the swallowing up of some people by the earth, metamorphosis of some into animals, and being rained upon with stones.” Someone asked, “When will this be, O Messenger of Allah?” and he said, “When songstresses and musical instruments appear and wine is held to be lawful.”
(5) “There will be peoples of my Community who will hold fornication, silk, wine, and musical instruments to be lawful ….” — ‘Umdat al-Salik r40.0
“Karachi enforces ban on music in public transport,” from AFP, February 20:
KARACHI: Traffic police in Karachi said Thursday they have launched a campaign to stop music being played in public transport due to complaints from women.
The authorities denied the move was in response to a reported warning from the Taliban, who consider music sinful according to their fundamentalist interpretation of Islam.
“No there was no threat to the traffic police from anyone, it is entirely baseless,” Arif Hanif, Karachi traffic police chief AFP.
“We only got complaints from the women commuters and nothing else,” Hanif said.
“And the campaign is aimed at the implementation of the law as the rules prohibit playing music in public transport,” he said.
The congested roads of the chaotic city of 20 million are plied by a variety of public transport vehicles including buses, rickshaws and taxis.
Drivers caught playing music will be fined and music players will be confiscated under the crackdown. The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) launched an insurgency seven years ago that has claimed nearly 7,000 lives.
Veracious_one says
The Taliban dictates the terms and backs up their insane demands with bullets, grenades, and bombs….after all they are pious Muslims…
CogitoErgoSum says
I love music . I could not imagine a world without it. What others have had to say about music……..
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_music.html
and one of my favorite pieces of music………
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUHvj1cxOs0
……………………………………………………………………Please remember Asia Bibi.
Thersites says
I am fond of music, including traditional Indian and Middle Eastern music, but would not condemn or critisize the authorities in Karachi for this decision.
As a young man I did quite a lot of travel by public transport in India and Pakistan and having to listen to loud, wailing songs (often from Bollywood epics) played at full volume on scratchy, low quality speakers did nothing to add to my enjoyment of the journey.
gravenimage says
Thersites wrote:
I am fond of music, including traditional Indian and Middle Eastern music, but would not condemn or critisize the authorities in Karachi for this decision.
As a young man I did quite a lot of travel by public transport in India and Pakistan and having to listen to loud, wailing songs (often from Bollywood epics) played at full volume on scratchy, low quality speakers did nothing to add to my enjoyment of the journey.
……………………………………
*Good grief*.
For instance, I’m not overly fond of people wandering around in beach attire in restaurants and gift shops—I find it a bit tacky. I suppose that means that I should welcome the Taliban cracking down on such scofflaws—preferably with threats of violence.
I’m sure that dealing with the full imposition of Shari’ah would immeasurably “add to my enjoyment” of, well, just about everything! sarc/off
Really, is *this* what you’re advocating?
And pious Muslims don’t stop there—they have murdered musicians and blown up record shops and concert halls. Don’t think that the Taliban is going to stop at silencing blaring music on buses.